After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

Next, Gu Ce led Rong Yingluo to pay their respects to the second branch of the family.

The old Duke had three sons. Duke Gu Jingsheng was the eldest son, who inherited the title and was also the head of the family.

The second son, Gu Jingcheng, married a woman surnamed Guo. The third son, Gu Jingheng, was born out of wedlock and married a woman surnamed Xiang.

"My niece-in-law greets my second uncle and aunt." Rong Yingluo offered a teacup.

"Please, no need for formalities," said Aunt Guo with a smile as she accepted the tea.

"A-Ce, now that you've married a wife, you must protect her well and prevent her from causing any more trouble," Second Uncle Gu Jingcheng admonished in a serious tone.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I know what I'm doing." Gu Ce cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Rong Yingluo stood up, walked to her third uncle and his wife, and respectfully bowed and offered them tea. She then greeted her younger siblings with the same courtesy and exchanged greetings.

Among his siblings, the second wife had two sons and one daughter, the third wife had one son and one daughter, and there were also two concubine daughters of the Duke.

"Ah Ce, you've risen to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel at such a young age, that's truly commendable. You must not let down the Emperor's high regard for you." Gu Jingcheng stroked a small tuft of beard under his chin, speaking in the tone of an elder instructing a younger generation.

"Thank you for your guidance, Second Uncle." Gu Ce listened to the instruction.

"Ah Ce, Ah Xu is twenty years old now. He doesn't have your ability to take the imperial examination, and he hasn't mastered the Gu family's martial arts either. Your second uncle wants to ask you for a favor and see if you can find him a job, so he won't be causing trouble all day and tarnishing the reputation of my Zhenguo Duke's Mansion." Gu Jingcheng glanced at his eldest son, with a look of disappointment and disdain.

"Yes, eldest cousin, I also want to find something to do, otherwise I won't have money to buy jewelry for my wife after I get married." Gu Xu rubbed his hands a little embarrassedly.

"Second Uncle, you have a military rank in the city defense camp. You could easily get my cousin in. Why do you need my help?" Gu Ce really didn't like this second uncle.

He and his father were born to the same mother, yet the difference between them was enormous.

He was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and he was afraid of death, so he refused to go to the frontier battlefield to make a name for himself. He only managed to get a minor captain position in the city's defense battalion and then stopped there.

"Ah Ce is joking. I don't have any good positions for Ah Xu. You have more power and can get a better job. I'm begging you, Second Uncle." Gu Jingcheng's eyes flickered.

"Ah Ce, your second aunt is begging you too. We're all family, it's only right that we help each other out," Guo Shi pleaded, her face flushed.

"A-Ce, your father isn't in the capital. You're a civil official now, and you don't have anyone to help you in court. If you help your older cousin, he might do well and gain the emperor's favor, and get promoted. Then you won't be alone in court," Su Jingyi also advised.

"Let me see what positions are suitable for my eldest cousin." Gu Ce saw that the elders had all said so, and if he didn't help, he didn't know how many times they would nag him in the future.

While the group was talking, Rong Yingluo was also observing everyone.

She was a Taoist priest, and face reading was an essential skill for her.

She noticed that Gu Xi looked a lot like her second uncle; if they were father and son, no one would doubt it.

But they are uncle and nephew, so it's not impossible that they look alike. However, she always felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. On the contrary, Gu Ce didn't resemble his second uncle at all, and he had nothing in common with Gu Xi either.

Although he and Gu Xi were not born of the same mother, they at least shared the same father, so they must have some similarities, but she couldn't see any of them at all.

She had never met the Duke and didn't know if he looked like Gu Xi.

"Mother, I still need to take Liuli to pay my respects to Grandmother, so I'll take my leave now." Gu Ce stood up.

"You never brought your new daughter-in-law to meet your grandmother before, why did you change your mind this time?" Su Jingyi asked curiously.

"Last night I knelt in the ancestral hall, and my grandfather scolded me for being unfilial." Gu Ce lied without batting an eye.

Then, he led Rong Yingluo out of the main hall, just as they passed by the imperial physician whom Su Jingyi had sent to fetch.

Rong Yingluo grabbed Gu Ce, wanting to hear what the imperial physician had to say and to see his skill level, whether he could detect the poison she had administered.

Gu Ce raised an eyebrow and knew what her purpose was.

The imperial physician entered the main hall, took Su Jingyi's pulse, and inquired about the circumstances of her illness the previous night.

The imperial physician pondered for a long time, but could not come up with a solution.

"Doctor Wu, have you made any discoveries?" Su Jingyi asked impatiently.

"Madam, you are not seriously ill. Perhaps you just had a temporary buildup of gas last night. Once you release it, you will be fine," Physician Wu had no choice but to say.

Upon hearing this, Rong Yingluo, who was outside the hall, suppressed a laugh and left.

Gu Ce led her inscrutably toward the old Duchess's courtyard.

"I know, you were the one who did it last night." Gu Ce glanced at Rong Yingluo with a half-smile and said in a low voice.

"Do you have any evidence?" Rong Yingluo asked without any hesitation.

"no."

"Don't speak recklessly without evidence." Rong Yingluo's expression turned cold, completely different from when she was in the main hall.

Gu Ce was stunned by how quickly her expression changed.

He considered himself the best at pretending, but he never expected that his wife would be even better at pretending than him.

The two arrived at the Shousong Courtyard, where the old Duchess lived.

The maids and servants in the courtyard went about their business quietly, and the arrival of the two men did not affect their work at all. At most, when a servant passed by, he would squat down and bow before continuing on his way.

Without waiting for anyone to announce their arrival, the two went directly into the old lady's resting room.

An old man with a pale and ashen face lay listlessly on the bed.

Rong Yingluo could tell at a glance that she was determined to die and was just waiting to take her last breath.

The old lady looked at the ceiling, her eyes already cloudy, yet revealing a trace of resentment.

"Grandmother, your grandson has brought his new bride to see you." Gu Ce sat down on the edge of the bed and took the old woman's hand.

The old lady slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on Gu Ce's face.

"You unfilial wretch! Isn't killing four people enough?" The old lady suddenly became angry, pulled her hand back, and her eyes were filled with rage.

"Grandmother, Mother hopes that I will continue the Gu family line, and the Emperor has also given his word that as long as I can give birth to a son, I will inherit the title. I have no choice but to get married," Gu Ce explained helplessly.

After his second wife died, his grandmother told him not to marry before he turned thirty, unless he gave up his position as heir apparent and separated from the family beforehand.

But how could he possibly give up the position of heir to his second brother, born to his stepmother? That纨绔 (playboy) was simply not capable of supporting the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"You..." The old lady closed her eyes weakly.

"Granddaughter-in-law Rong Liuli greets Grandmother." Rong Yingluo stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

The old lady then turned her gaze to her, her eyes filled with pity.

"Ah Ce, go out and do your work. I want to say a few words to my new bride." The old lady dismissed him directly, showing no kindness whatsoever to Gu Ce.

"Yes, Grandmother." Gu Ce stood up, took a deep look at the old woman, and then reluctantly left.

His grandmother had disliked him for three years.

"Ah Ye, go out and get everyone out of my way," the old lady instructed a nanny who was serving her.

"Yes, Madam." The old woman named A-Ye quietly closed the door.

Before long, Rong Yingluo heard footsteps outside walking further and further away.

"Grandmother, you are very ill. Why don't you wait until you feel better before you talk to your granddaughter-in-law?" Rong Yingluo knew from the old lady's words just now that she was a kind person.

Good people should be rewarded, but she saw that her life force was so weak, there must be something wrong.

"Good child, you were forced to marry A-Ce, weren't you?" The old lady held her hand, her eyes filled with heartache.

She hasn't left this courtyard for three years, but that doesn't mean she knows nothing.

The crown prince married four wives in five years, and all of them died.

She knew this was no coincidence; someone was stirring up trouble in the mansion, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

She had long since handed over the power of managing the household, and all the servants in the mansion were of one mind with Madam Su, so she couldn't command them at all.

She was imprisoned in this Shousong Courtyard for three whole years.

"Yes. The Duchess requested the imperial decree to grant the marriage without consulting my family." Rong Yingluo frankly stated the truth.

She wanted to see how the old lady would react.

"Good child, you've suffered so much. The Duke's mansion has already killed four good girls. You could be next. Aren't you afraid?" The old lady said, tears welling up in her eyes.